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Tourists enjoy snowfall in Kufri
by Nagendra Ranta

      Kufri (Shimla): Even as cold wave is gripping northern India, tourists are flocking to Kufri here to join the revelry on snowfall. The fall of snowflakes down the slopes has heralded the revival of the inflow of tourists in Kufri, near Shimla, with the holidaying crowd, eager to enjoy the snow covered mountain peaks, arriving here with friends and families.

     Interestingly, just a fortnight earlier, a lot of tourists had started leaving the place after experiencing a unusually long dry spell and lack of snowfall during winter in the region. But the news about snowfall has delighted not just tourists but tourist operators and local hoteliers too. Otherwise, the tour operators were apprehending a lean period while blaming the weather for losses. Located about 16 kilometres from Shimla, the captal of Himachal Pradesh, Kufri is famous for its trekking and hiking trails. It is also known for nature parks and scenic picnic spots. And, the snowfall has lured the adventure-seeking tourists thronging Kufri also to enjoy skiing and tobogganing along its snow-covered slopes. The place has witnessed a tremendous increase in the number of tourists during the past few weeks, mainly from the plains and coastal regions. Tourists are of the view that their holiday trip has turned worthwhile with the snowfall. "It feels very different here. It seems as if we are in some heaven. The environment, the nature of people, everything is so tempting. We feel like settling down here," said Anil Badurka, a tourist from Maharashtra . "We came earlier in the day but there was nothing. Suddenly, during the night, the weather changed and now it seems as if our trip to this place was worth. We are really enjoying. Its snow everywhere and it feels great," said a Gujrati tourist, Vedant Shukla.

     Local travel agents hope the change in the season and snowfall on the higher peaks will add vigour to the tourists business. "It was all dried up here but due to snowfall, it has been a great relief. Now, we expect more tourists," said Lucchi Ram, a travel agent in Kufri. The higher places in Himachal received heavy snowfall during the past few days. In the tribal regions of the State, the temperature has reached below zero and is in the grip of severe cold. It is learnt that sudden wave of cold breeze in the upper areas has resulted in snowfall.
-Feb 11,  2007

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